Michael Phelps is cheating

[Cainkane1]

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/specialevents/blog/2008/08/does_music_give_phelps_an_unfa.html

A doctor is saying that Michael Phelps is "doping" whenever he listens to his ipod. The music raises his phermone level or something like that. Comments?

[Darat]

I do agree that Phelps has been cheating - apparently he trains most days and tries to swim faster than anyone else. If that isn't cheating I don't know what is!

[HarryKeogh]

I do agree that Phelps has been cheating - apaprently he trains most days and tries to swim faster than anyone else. If that isn't cheating I don't know what is!

Don't forget how he hand-picked his parents to give him those physical traits that are perfect for swimming.

I hope they take his medals away and give them to that Swedish wrestler.

[Tricky]

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/specialevents/blog/2008/08/does_music_give_phelps_an_unfa.html

A doctor is saying that Michael Phelps is "doping" whenever he listens to his ipod. The music raises his phermone level or something like that. Comments?
Are ipods forbidden to other swimmers?

[Darat]

I've also heard that he has been known to breath before a swim....

[Worm]

He also breaths while he's swimming! it's outrageous!

[lionking]

Not only that, but he tries really hard. Sheesh.

[JoeEllison]

I do agree that Phelps has been cheating - apparently he trains most days and tries to swim faster than anyone else. If that isn't cheating I don't know what is!
You're joking, but my high school cross country team was once accused of having an unfair advantage because we trained on weekends, during the off-season(including the summer!), and even had practice on rainy days!

[Darat]

Do all you USAians sports people do this? In the UK athletes are not allowed by law to train, in fact our Olympic team is chosen by lottery (we actually get the choice either jury service or going to the Olympics).

[aggle-rithm]

Do all you USAians sports people do this? In the UK athletes are not allowed by law to train, in fact our Olympic team is chosen by lottery (we actually get the choice either jury service or going to the Olympics).

Excuses, excuses....

[gumboot]

Do all you USAians sports people do this? In the UK athletes are not allowed by law to train, in fact our Olympic team is chosen by lottery (we actually get the choice either jury service or going to the Olympics).


The reality is you're all just natural cyclists... ;)

[Jaggy Bunnet]

Do all you USAians sports people do this? In the UK athletes are not allowed by law to train, in fact our Olympic team is chosen by lottery (we actually get the choice either jury service or going to the Olympics).

To be strictly accurate, we are not allowed to get up and train - which is why we keep winning gold in the sitting down events (sailing, rowing, cycling) which slip through a loophole.

[Lothian]

Excuses, excuses....It is true, I just missed out on the main event but was lucky enough to win a Paralympics entry. I got an entry for the 100m for men (T42 class). I am getting my leg off next week in preparation.

[Lothian]

The reality is you're all just natural cyclists... ;)I think you will find a correlation between petrol prices and UK cycling medals.

[Travis]

You're joking, but my high school cross country team was once accused of having an unfair advantage because we trained on weekends, during the off-season(including the summer!), and even had practice on rainy days!

When I was running Cross Country in High School we would meet up, voluntarily, over the summer to train together and we were also accused of breaking a no summer training rule. However the rule only stated the coach couldn't coach us during the summer and we were just doing it on our own so their protests were in vain. We were first place in the league that year too if I might brag for a moment.:cool:

[pgwenthold]

It is funny, though, that while steroids get all the press, they are only the tip of the "performance enhancing drugs" iceberg, which has acetominophin, or some other analgesic, as the bulk of it.

Ask a MLB pitcher what they would be able to do without Tylenol? In the US Open, Tiger Woods could hardly walk by the 9th hole, and admitted that he took massive pain killers to get him through the back 9. Athletes have problems admitting they take cortisone shots.

These are all "performance enhancing," because they are allowing the body to do things it couldn't do without them. IOW, there is a fine line between what is acceptable and not acceptable. Then again, I don't think the iPod is very close to that line.

[richardm]

I am getting my leg off next week in preparation.

Unfortunately since Lothian's NHS trust has fallen behind on the HP repayments the amputation saw is currently somewhere in Norfolk and his operation has been delayed for eight months. If anyone has a saw, axe, sledgehammer or similar that they could lend out then I'm sure Team GB would be grateful.

We wouldn't want our friend Lothian to just miss out on his opportunity to win a medal - in true British style he wants to do that himself.

[pgwenthold]

You're joking, but my high school cross country team was once accused of having an unfair advantage because we trained on weekends, during the off-season(including the summer!), and even had practice on rainy days!


As Travis notes below, there are restriction on what practice is allowed for certain athletic teams (high school, college). Your case may not have been against the rules, but the concept that you were violating league rules is not silly. The devil is in the details, not in the concept.

[cgallaga]

In the UK athletes are not allowed by law to train, .

But do the trains run on time?

[Lothian]

But do the trains run on time?No, rails.

[Bikewer]

NBC this morning had a short segment on the various athlete's use of music. Most all of them, regardless of discipline, listen to music (of whatever type) that "pumps them up".

A psychologist explains that music an individual finds invigorating does indeed raise endorphin levels and improves mood and energy.
Since they virtually all do it....

[JoeEllison]

As Travis notes below, there are restriction on what practice is allowed for certain athletic teams (high school, college). Your case may not have been against the rules, but the concept that you were violating league rules is not silly. The devil is in the details, not in the concept.

Yes, but... on rainy days?!?!:rolleyes:

[JoeEllison]

When I was running Cross Country in High School we would meet up, voluntarily, over the summer to train together and we were also accused of breaking a no summer training rule. However the rule only stated the coach couldn't coach us during the summer and we were just doing it on our own so their protests were in vain. We were first place in the league that year too if I might brag for a moment.:cool:

My old team has some ridiculous winning record that started when I was there and has continued through the last few years. We didn't have "practices" all year round, or ever on the weekends, but most of us ran over 300 days a year. I think my longest personal streak was close to 700 straight days. On the other hand, we had a conference meet where the coaches on the other teams wanted to cancel on account of the fact that it was rainy two weeks before the meet. Apparently there was an unwritten "don't get your shoes wet" rule that our coach wasn't aware of. That's probably why they named the athletic field after him... :D

[Travis]

Yes, but... on rainy days?!?!:rolleyes:

Well, complaining about that is just stupid. I'm guessing they didn't train on rainy days and assumed no one else would.......oops.

We used to run on rainy days and in fact that was one of my favorite things. The big league meet my Sophomore year was in a torrential downpour and I got one of my best times in that race.

[Travis]

My old team has some ridiculous winning record that started when I was there and has continued through the last few years. We didn't have "practices" all year round, or ever on the weekends, but most of us ran over 300 days a year. I think my longest personal streak was close to 700 straight days. On the other hand, we had a conference meet where the coaches on the other teams wanted to cancel on account of the fact that it was rainy two weeks before the meet. Apparently there was an unwritten "don't get your shoes wet" rule that our coach wasn't aware of. That's probably why they named the athletic field after him... :D

Wow, 700 days straight, that beats me. My personal best was 150 days before winter snows made it impossible and I took a few weeks off from running and did other things.

[Gravy]

I heard Phelps secretly shaves his body. Don't know if I believe someone would go that far though.

[Drudgewire]

Not sure how it affects swimming, but listening to Ronnie James Dio has been proven by Hollywood to help shoot down enemy war planes (http://www.connollyco.com/discography/queen/ironeagle.html).

[HarryKeogh]

Y'know all those stories about his eating 12,000 calories a day? That's because he stole everyone else's food in the Olympic village. He's a cheat and a fraud.

And that lady in the stands they kept focusing in on? Not his mom. That was a robot who shot laser beams out of its eyes to blind the other swimmers in the water.

Damn robots.

[cwalner]

I heard Phelps secretly shaves his body. Don't know if I believe someone would go that far though.

Don't think it is so secretly. I had several freinds in college that swam competetively and all of them would shave thier bodies before big competitions. This is not going far but SOP for swimmers as I understand it.

[krelnik]

This reminds me of the Kurt Vonnegut short story Harrison Bergeron (http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html).

(For those who want just the class notes: Harrison Bergeron)

[Vic Vega]

Don't think it is so secretly. I had several freinds in college that swam competetively and all of them would shave thier bodies before big competitions. This is not going far but SOP for swimmers as I understand it.


I think Gravy said that tounge-in-cheek.

[JoeEllison]

Wow, 700 days straight, that beats me. My personal best was 150 days before winter snows made it impossible and I took a few weeks off from running and did other things.

I went out and got pneumonia and almost died... :D

A little more on-topic: if everyone has more or less equal access to something, then it isn't an unfair advantage if one person or team uses it and the others don't. And, how would you enforce a "no music" rule fairly, when there's no question that there are other mental tricks that give you a similar outcome? I guess we'd have to institute a "no meditation" rule, and a "no visualizing positive outcomes" rule as well.

[dudalb]

I do agree that Phelps has been cheating - apparently he trains most days and tries to swim faster than anyone else. If that isn't cheating I don't know what is!

Ah, the British Cult of the Amateur lives!:D

[Gagglegnash]

Hi

I remember reading a story from World War II, or as the Brits called, it, "The Recent Difficulty," where a British unit challenged an American unit to a friendly game of cricket.

The Americans won.

Later, one of the Brits accused them, over some good British beer, the stake in the game, of poor sportsmanship:

"...but they practiced!"

But everyone was drinking the beer, so all was forgiven.

:D Gotta love them Brits. :D

[Darat]

That has to be an urban myth - WWII didn't last that long.

[malbui]

Hi

I remember reading a story from World War II, or as the Brits called, it, "The Recent Difficulty," where a British unit challenged an American unit to a friendly game of cricket.

The Americans won.

Later, one of the Brits accused them, over some good British beer, the stake in the game, of poor sportsmanship:

"...but they practiced!"

But everyone was drinking the beer, so all was forgiven.

:D Gotta love them Brits. :D


Going on what my grandfathers told me about their time in uniform, I find it hard to believe that any British and American units were even on speaking terms, let alone organising sporting encounters between themselves.

[Morrigan]

Not sure how it affects swimming, but listening to Ronnie James Dio has been proven by Hollywood to help shoot down enemy war planes (http://www.connollyco.com/discography/queen/ironeagle.html).

Listening to Ronnie james Dio help with everything, though.

And, how would you enforce a "no music" rule fairly, when there's no question that there are other mental tricks that give you a similar outcome? I guess we'd have to institute a "no meditation" rule, and a "no visualizing positive outcomes" rule as well.
I suggest brain scans on every athletes to make sure they aren't concentrating too hard. Oh, and no one can have his or her mom or friends tell them "good luck", since it may boost their morale and give them an unfair advantage. What about those orphan athletes, huh?

[aerosolben]

I hear Michael Phelps frequently consumes food, often in large quantities. This substance apparently contains molecules which, when consumed in conjunction with exercise, enter the bloodstream and allow the user to dramatically increase muscle mass and stamina far beyond what they could reach with exercise alone.

Frankly, I'm outraged at this breach of sportsmanship.

[Marquis de Carabas]

You are all missing the most basic (and blatant) of his cheating schemes. He performs his swimming in a pool full of water. Scientific studies have shown time and time again that moving from dirt to water can decrease one's swimming times by minutes or even hours. I can but wonder that this has been allowed to continue so long.

[shemp]

You are all missing the most basic (and blatant) of his cheating schemes. He performs his swimming in a pool full of water. Scientific studies have shown time and time again that moving from dirt to water can decrease one's swimming times by minutes or even hours. I can but wonder that this has been allowed to continue so long.

It would be much more interesting if he had to swim in urine or vomit, or maybe the blood of the damned.

[Radrook]

What prevents a swimmmer from having an extendable reach via having extendable fingernails to deploy when necessary or at the end of the race? Do they check their hands?

[Gagglegnash]

Hi

Going on what my grandfathers told me about their time in uniform, I find it hard to believe that any British and American units were even on speaking terms, let alone organising sporting encounters between themselves.


From personal experience, hostility between persons under duress is inversely proportional to how much beer the other guy has, and is further reduced by how cold he can manage to get it, if it's American beer.

The Americans aviators in the pacific theater would load the ammo wells in the wings of their fighters with beer, then do a high-altitude test flight.

The beer would come down with frost on the bottle caps.

:D Everyone loved American aviators in the Pacific Theater. It seemed that they had to high-altitude test their planes a LOT! :D

It would be much more interesting if he had to swim in urine or vomit, or maybe the blood of the damned.


Eewwww! What a disgusting thought!!

Blood of the INNOCENT, Shemp! Blood of the INNOCENT!!

[Corsair 115]

I do agree that Phelps has been cheating - apparently he trains most days and tries to swim faster than anyone else. If that isn't cheating I don't know what is!To be serious for a moment, Marion Jones' Olympic wins were all said to be due to her natural abilities and hard work, and we all know how that one turned out.

When I see someone performing as well as Phelps has, I can't but help think of the possibility of performancing enhancing drugs being involved. I certainly hope that is not the case and he's just that good.

[HarryKeogh]

To be serious for a moment, Marion Jones' Olympic wins were all said to be due to her natural abilities and hard work, and we all know how that one turned out.

When I see someone performing as well as Phelps has, I can't but help think of the possibility of performancing enhancing drugs being involved. I certainly hope that is not the case and he's just that good.

Don't be ridiculous. Steroids don't work when mixed with water.

[Darat]

...snip...

When I see someone performing as well as Phelps has, I can't but help think of the possibility of performancing enhancing drugs being involved. I certainly hope that is not the case and he's just that good.

As you say there are grounds for being suspicious given past events but I don't think anyone (in the case of Phelps) has even hinted at anything that indicates that he might be not "100% natural".

[erlando]

Don't be ridiculous. Steroids don't work when mixed with water.

But... Maybe they're homeopathic steroids.. Ever think of that? Those would be untraceable! :eek:

[Mashuna]

I've heard that the current tests don't even check for the presence of an outboard motor.

[timhau]

I've heard that the current tests don't even check for the presence of an outboard motor.

Or the presence of an intestinal bean-powered jet engine.

[Tricky]

Or the presence of an intestinal bean-powered jet engine.
I thought his wake looked a little too frothy.

[aerosolben]

The serious answer:

http://gawker.com/5038018/michael-phelps-freakish-physique-explained

Phelps apparently has a disproportionately large upper body (and arm span), double-jointed ankles, produces very low amounts of lactic acid, and has ADHD.

[erlando]

The serious answer:

http://gawker.com/5038018/michael-phelps-freakish-physique-explained


The comments on that page are comedy gold. It might also be me suffering from overcaffeination. Pick one.. ;)

As polar ice caps continue to melt, humans will begin to evolve to adjust to a world of water and develop webbed hands, fin-feet and gills (those lines on his stomach). Phelps is from the future.

[aerosolben]

The comments on that page are comedy gold. It might also be me suffering from overcaffeination. Pick one.. ;)
Yes, the Michael Phelps facts (http://michaelphelpsfacts.com/Home.html) really got going a couple days ago (probably about when he was halfway through his medals).

There was a Fark thread with some good ones (e.g., The Indonesian tsunami wasn't caused by an earthquake - Michael Phelps flip turned too hard off South America during his daily swim across the Pacific) but I cannot find the link.

[pgwenthold]

The serious answer:

http://gawker.com/5038018/michael-phelps-freakish-physique-explained

Phelps apparently has a disproportionately large upper body (and arm span), double-jointed ankles, produces very low amounts of lactic acid, and has ADHD.

AKA, the guy is a freak.

[Mobyseven]

There was a Fark thread with some good ones (e.g., The Indonesian tsunami wasn't caused by an earthquake - Michael Phelps flip turned too hard off South America during his daily swim across the Pacific) but I cannot find the link.

...I really hope that wasn't what they said. They wouldn't even have the right ocean. They probably wouldn't even have the right hemisphere, given how much of South America is in the southern hemisphere...

[quixotecoyote]

...I really hope that wasn't what they said. They wouldn't even have the right ocean. They probably wouldn't even have the right hemisphere, given how much of South America is in the southern hemisphere...

I don't think you quite understand how powerfully he turned...

[Michelle Lyon]

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/specialevents/blog/2008/08/does_music_give_phelps_an_unfa.html

A doctor is saying that Michael Phelps is "doping" whenever he listens to his ipod. The music raises his phermone level or something like that. Comments?

Would it be more acceptable if he used a Walkman? :D

[aerosolben]

...I really hope that wasn't what they said. They wouldn't even have the right ocean. They probably wouldn't even have the right hemisphere, given how much of South America is in the southern hemisphere...
Fluid dynamics are not independent physical laws, but manifestations of Michael Phelps' will.

[Mobyseven]

I don't think you quite understand how powerfully he turned...

Regardless of how powerfully he turned, nobody in Australia, eastern Southeast Asia or Africa seemed to notice that their entire continent had just been hit by the largest tsunami in recorded history...

Fluid dynamics are not independent physical laws, but manifestations of Michael Phelps' will.

...touche.

[jimbob]

Hi

I remember reading a story from World War II, or as the Brits called, it, "The Recent Difficulty," where a British unit challenged an American unit to a friendly game of cricket.

The Americans won.

Later, one of the Brits accused them, over some good British beer, the stake in the game, of poor sportsmanship:

"...but they practiced!"

But everyone was drinking the beer, so all was forgiven.

:D Gotta love them Brits. :D


That sounds about right for the England Cricket team.

We invented it, (OK I know that the Americans played it untli their little local difficulty with the Civil War) And we havn't told anyone else that the winner is the team that scores the fewest runs... It is a special English secret.

(As half kiwi/half English I have to claim this for anything resembling national "pride" in cricket) I only watch because of masochism.